Thursday, November 12, 2009

A change of attitude toward change

I walked into Starbucks today at 6.15 am as I do nearly every morning after my workout.

And right away, I noticed: Everything had been changed: there were new tables, including one huge one. Bars had put in with bar stools. New lighting installed. The walls are being repainted.(Fortunately, my friends who work there were still behind the counter.)

What was going on? I wondered. Whatever it was, I thought, I didn't like it. For an instant, I thought I'd go back to Panera tomorrow morning.

Now, I understand what people in the church, particularly the Episcopal Church, are experiencing. The church is being refurnished and redecorated, theologically and in other ways. The Episcopal Church isn't what it used to be. And we feel unsettled.

We want the church to be that unchanging institution in our lives. We crave the familiar words of that worship we grew up with, be it the 1928 Prayer Book, even the 1979 Prayer Book. We might say we liked it when Episcopal priests were men, not also women.

And female bishops? Well, let's not talk about that or about the gay bishop of New Hampshire or the the blessing of same gender unions. What will be next?

I understand. I really do. We humans want everything to stay the same. It's secure that way and safe. And predictable, like sitting in the same pew at the Sunday Eucharist. We can always count on our place being available.

But it's also unrealistic. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same--in families, at work, in government and politics (We now have an African-American president), in our neighborhoods and cities, in the church.

Darwin found that only a species that adapts and evolves survives; otherwise, it dies.

So it is with institutions, including the church. I remember a debate I had with a retired Member of Parliament when I was in England one summer--this debate occurred in his home, not on the floor of Commons--and I said, "Why not let women be priests, even bishops? Your Prime Minister is a woman, after all?"

"Yes, but that's different," he said, unable to tell me exactly how.

The Episcopal Church is changing, because the world we serve is changing. And we either adapt, seeking to minister to others in Christ's name, or we cling to the past and perish in irrelevance and insignificance.

So, I'll go back to Starbucks tomorrow morning. I'll mutter for awhile about the changes in furnishings and decor. But I'll get used to the changes and, if my experience with change is any measure, I'll even come to like them one day.

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About Me

I was born in Louisville, KY. I am a proud Kentuckian and Louisvillian, I am also, by adoption, a proud Missourian, I am married to Penny. We met as undergraduates at the University of Louisville. She works in IT but regards herself, vocationally, as a painter. We have a daughter, Ckare, and two granddaughters, June Elizabeth and Christa Marie. I earned my bachelor's degree in history with honors at U of L. I worked in banking for several years, then for several years more in journalism and public relations as a writer, editor , and account manager. My background in finance, administration, and communication has been a blessing in my service to God. I earned my master's in divinity at The General Theological Seminary in NewYork City, I most recently earned another master's degree, this one from Missouri State University in English, with a creative writing emphasis. Since high school, I have been an avid writer, my work appearing in local, regional and national publications, including Sojourners, The Other Side, The Christian Century. While in seminary, I did freelance writing for the Episcopal Church and wrote three chapters of The Christian Sourcebook, published by Ballantine. I still write--fiction and poetry, essays for my online journal, and occasional newspaper columns. I have been rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, MO since 1995. I love the church and, most of all, the people,who love and serve Jesus. I love preaching, teaching,,writing and taking an active part in civic and community leadership.